Catalyst Café’s Beautiful Queer-Friendly Scene + Vibrant, Inclusive Eats

Catalyst Café | Breakfast + Lunch

🌏 Everett, WA, USA

❀❀❀❀❀ 4.8 / 5.0

Catalyst Café: A Place for Color and Inclusivity

Catalyst Café is one of the most colorful venues near Seattle, and it isn’t just because of the art-splashed walls or striped ceiling fans. Everything about the café—from the vibrant fruit bowls to its LGBTQIA+ advocacy—is alive with color. 

Catalyst’s mission was borne out of a frustration with how few safe, supportive gathering places there were for the local LGBTQIA+ community. This vision blossomed into a soulful, sober, family-friendly space that moves beyond mere tolerance. Indeed, the energy at Catalyst Café bursts with queer and community celebration.

The food, beverage, and bakery menus are equally welcoming and diverse. On every front, Catalyst provides alternative options so that friends of all dietary preferences and needs can gather and enjoy a little nourishment. Their emphasis on supporting other local, minority-owned businesses infuses each bite with an added wholesomeness.

By day, the dining room welcomes sunlight and has anime playing on the television. By night, the space becomes a venue for game and performance events.     

It doesn’t matter who you are or how you identify. Catalyst Café is a place for everyone; every open, loving heart that comes will leave inspired. 

Fitting into Everett’s Culinary Mosaic

I was wandering around Everett, WA after a walk at Angel of the Winds when I discovered Catalyst Café. The vegan cupcakes were what inspired my stop that day, but a quick chat with the team and glance at the menu showed promise for my plant-based diet. 

The foodie within me was intrigued, too. Everett is already blessed with a robust selection of full vegan, or at least vegan-accessible, food places. Within the same 2-mile radius as Catalyst Café, there’s Cafe Wylde and The Bayside Cafe, which are both completely plant-based. Marginally farther out are K Fresh and The Sisters Restaurant, who each have plenty of vegetarian/vegan options. Even Artisans Books & Coffee has an impressively inclusive menu.

What struck me about Catalyst Café, however, was the culture. Again, the fare was curated for adaptability. The menu was distinctly labeled, making it so that all (or most) diets could be accommodated seamlessly and without excessive “substitution taxes,” which are all too common among the plant-based world.

Needless to say, I was excited to come back. 

Plant-Based Celebrations at Catalyst Café

Soon, I was back at Catalyst Café ordering the vegan version of “The Fancy Egg.” It’s always somewhat of a gamble when it comes to a restaurant’s interpretation of plant-based eggs, but it was an overcast afternoon and an adventurous brunch seemed like the right move.

The Fancy Egg turned out to be a hit. There were two slices of grain toast topped with avocado, everything seasoning, sprouts, tomato, pickled onions, and—get this—two sunny side up chickenless eggs. 

Sunny. Side. Up. Chickenless. Eggs.

The wonders of human inventiveness never cease to amaze me. When my knife broke through the egg “yolks,” they actually ran, dripping savory sauce onto the rest of the plate. The classic combination of avocado and tomato, together with the pickled onions, yolk spillage, and everything seasoning, was a triumphant symphony of flavor. 

It was one of those plates that had me squealing with joy. The portions were perfect for a light afternoon meal, and the presentation boasted thoughtful craftsmanship.

On a second trip back, I was similarly enamored with how fresh and colorful the fruit bowl was. Whereas most places serve the same triad of cubed melons, Catalyst brought out orange slices, grapes, blueberries, strawberries, and kiwi. 

It was like having a rainbow in a bowl. Even that symbolic parallel felt like something to celebrate. 

Final Notes from A Quiet Cafe Corner

Though I can’t vouch for the nighttime crowd or the events, during the daytime Catalyst Café is a haven for slower-paced souls.

For how quiet the dining room has been, the food has consistently taken a substantial amount of time. It arrives perhaps 15-20 minutes after ordering, which is more on-par with a restaurant experience than a cafe. That doesn’t tend to ruffle me, but other diners might benefit from squaring out some extra time. Especially because the food is well worth the wait.   

The care that went into Catalyst Café makes the place reverberate with intention and hope. Its commitments to inclusivity, social awareness, and holistic wellness set a new standard for safe gathering places. 

And perhaps that was part of the point. After all, what better name is there than “catalyst” for an agent of change? 

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